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Hair algae help please...

V

VFW Legislator

My IM 10 just started to show signs of hair algae, as in its growing. My parameters are great, but I cant check phosphates. I need a hanna. Anyway, i have a clown, fire shrimp, small colony of hairy mushrooms, and a rock of zoas. Been changing 10% water every week ( no skimmer). Im feeding a few pieces of mysis every 3 days. I think its my lights. Come on at 1100am, ramping up in an hour to 50% royal, 50% blue, and 27% white until 800pm when it ramps down, OFF at 930pm. 1%royal throughout night.

Any suggestions would be helpful. Thank you.
 
Trio91

Trio91

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Try shortening your light span.....sounds like your giving that tank a lot of light throughout the course of the day. Some people say to run less blues but that's a matter of preference IMO.

In the meantime, water manually remove the algae if you can. The light is just going to keep feeding it....along with whatever food

Also be careful not to starve your fish...don't want em dying on you

Any pix?
 
V

VFW Legislator

I'll put some pictures on when I get home. Thank you for your advice I will certainly shorten the light time down. And possibly tone the blues down a little bit as well
 
Mark_C

Mark_C

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Your going to hit that algae cycle early on. I restarted same time and I've got a bit of brown on the sand and a few bits of hair/bryopsis starting now.
From previous experience with this nano, I'm planning to do a 2g water change weekly (possibly bi-weekly) and keep up with dosing Special Blend.
If softies only, you can up the whites a bit and cut the time down by 2 hours or so.
In a 3 tier basket and normal conditions I run floss on top, Matrix Carbon in mid, Phosban in bottom.
If it gets bad I run floss on top, Matrix Carbon in mid mixed with Phosban, and Chempure Elite or Purigen in the bottom.
Also, if your using 'man-made' rock, some of these tend to bleed phosphate into the water, might want to change it out for natural rock.
Just a few thoughts.
 
V

VFW Legislator

Mark_C said:
Your going to hit that algae cycle early on. I restarted same time and I've got a bit of brown on the sand and a few bits of hair/bryopsis starting now.
From previous experience with this nano, I'm planning to do a 2g water change weekly (possibly bi-weekly) and keep up with dosing Special Blend.
If softies only, you can up the whites a bit and cut the time down by 2 hours or so.
In a 3 tier basket and normal conditions I run floss on top, Matrix Carbon in mid, Phosban in bottom.
If it gets bad I run floss on top, Matrix Carbon in mid mixed with Phosban, and Chempure Elite or Purigen in the bottom.
Also, if your using 'man-made' rock, some of these tend to bleed phosphate into the water, might want to change it out for natural rock.
Just a few thoughts.
Click to expand...
I'm running sloth and chemi pure Elite in the media basket right now. And I change the floss out every 3 days. I just did a 1 gallon water change on Sunday. I'll do another one tomorrow possibly larger. I just started feeding mysis shrimp 2 days ago. I'm curious as to if that kicked it off with the phosphates.
 
Trio91

Trio91

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Frozen food....probably not so much compared to flakes or pellets. They take longer to break down and feeding a tiny amount every 3days is more than likely not the source.

Like mark @Mark_C mentioned, your tank is still new and is going through its ugly phase.....and it will pass.
 
V

VFW Legislator

All my rock is real live and cured. I think my light schedule is way too much. I was gonna vacuum, do a lg wc, and add some phosban to the media rack. Should i black it out?
 

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V

VFW Legislator

Just rwduced to blue % to 40 and whites to 20%. Reduced total lighting time by 2 hrs a day. Anything I should do in meantime other than vaccuming?
 
Trio91

Trio91

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You cold manually remove the hair algae if it's really getting to you, it's a small amount

Just keep up with your water change schedule and you should be ok.
 
V

VFW Legislator

trio91 said:
See, no worries....just manually remove anything left over
Click to expand...
When I first saw the hair algae I was thinking I might go shoot myself in the face now and it cleared up the next day. Little vacuuming water change and cleaned up even nicer than it was prior to the hair algae growth
 
D

Dave

Fwiw just saw a brs tv vid on feeding frozen mysis. Put frozen cube in a plastic cup with small holes in bottom. Stack that cup in a second plastic cup. Cube melts leaving nutrient rich water in bottom cup. Pull out top cup straining through holes ...and put shrimp in tank. Throw water down drain. Thought it was a good low cost idea...so thought I would share


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
V

VFW Legislator

Dave said:
Fwiw just saw a brs tv vid on feeding frozen mysis. Put frozen cube in a plastic cup with small holes in bottom. Stack that cup in a second plastic cup. Cube melts leaving nutrient rich water in bottom cup. Pull out top cup straining through holes ...and put shrimp in tank. Throw water down drain. Thought it was a good low cost idea...so thought I would share


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Great Idea
 
Trio91

Trio91

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I defrost my food as well, but I know some people don't as it's a matter of preference. I use a plastic strainer from the $1 store
 
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